Book A Tour

An invitation to book a speaking engagement is hereby extended to groups involved in peace work, synagogues, churches, mosques, Jewish and Palestinian organizations, universities, and any other community forums. It is especially gratifying when different faiths join together for these events.

The presentation, Painful Hope, lasts about 2 hours, but can be tailored to the needs of the institution.

The purpose of this speaking tour is certainly to raise consciousness but primarily to raise funds, both for the Roots/Judur/Shorashim Center for Non-violence, Understanding and Reconciliation and for the Palestinian Institute of Non-Violence. The fee for hosting Ali and Hanan is $4000 -$5000 for evening and weekend events. The fee for weekday daytime events is normally $4,000 but under certain circumstances may be less. For Muslim venues the fee is $2000-$2,500. The fee for hosting Antwan / Khaled and Hanan is $2,500 for evening and weekend events and the fee for weekday daytime events or for Muslim venues may be a bit less.

In addition, the hosts are asked to help facilitate our fundraising efforts among the audience and among their constituencies. The hosts are also expected to pay airfare/train fare/carfare for the speakers from whatever point in the US they are traveling from. Organizations are requested to reach out to other institutions in their city to help us book more than one venue in the same geographical vicinity, thus cutting down on airfare and travel time. The lower fees in the fee scale mentioned above apply when we have multiple engagements in the same geographical area. (We are usually not interested in flying in to any city for just a lone event.) Lastly, the hosting organization will provide lodging for the speakers (Home hospitality is preferred, so as to not waste money on hotels).

Note for Jewish groups: Ali and Hanan are available for the shabatot during their stays in the USA. A shabat program, in addition to the Painful Hope presentation, can include one or more divrei Torah / sermons by Rabbi Schlesinger and/or a full class/shiur based on traditional Jewish sources. The divrei Torah and class(es) can provide insight into the Jewish sources for openness to understanding the other, existential humility, pluralism, judging favorably, and forgiveness. The fee for the full shabat program is $5,000.

For further details and for booking, write Stephanie Brzezinski at stephanie_brzezinski@yahoo.com, and copy Rabbi Schlesinger at ravhanan@sbcglobal.net